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Dare wines

This is an important and extremely aromatic time for us in caves. The wines have long since finished primary fermentation and we then keep several lots in tank for an extended maceration period. We then move the wine from tank to barrel and use a basket press at the very end to extract all the wine from the grape must. The grape must (pomace) that is leftover in the basket press is then take to be composted and later reapplied on the soils of our vineyard. It’s full circle and it’s part of what makes our wines excel year after year.

It’s another exciting week in the vineyard, as we move closer to harvest. We continue our legacy of organic farming, which involves many sustainable practices that help our fruit flourish. One specific vineyard practice includes a unique effort to naturally control any predatory pests in order to maintain a balanced ecological system on the property, which Alan takes great pride in. In this light, he incorporates some amazing strategies, one of which occurred this week: the release of these tiny wasps that control pests by “flying around and laying their eggs into the belly of the host,” says Alan.

Alan inspects these little wasps before releasing into Viader Vineyards

Close to 10,000 of these little beneficiary wasps are released per season. The adult wasps generally live about 2-3 days flying around laying hundreds of eggs in their lifetime. They arrive in small vials and are dispersed by our crew in the vineyard. How do they find their prey? “They fly around and are attracted to the pheromones from the females,” Alan says.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach: IPM is a pest management strategy useful for any farming system especially for organic growers.

Grapes coming along so very nicely- most have completed veraison now.

It’s just another week in the life of an organic winery, with Alan Viader at the helm. Please keep in touch with us to learn more about news at the vineyard and our various product releases and specials. Coming up to harvest is the busiest and most exciting time at our vineyard. We’d love to have you come for a visit and feel free to ask questions below.

Wine, wine and more wine as Delia takes a whirlwine trip around London pouring Viader wines.

Delia had a whirlwind trip to London earlier this month, stopping to pour at a wine dinner at Ransome’s Dock on the first night where she served as the Vintner Lead among the other Napa Valley Vintners, such as Shafer Vineyards. This was the most successful and interesting dinner on the trip, where she was delighted to pour a vertical from the 2002, 2005, and 2008 vintages of VIADER Proprietary Red Blend. Special guest and renowned author Jancis Robinson was so impressed with the presentation of the 2002 she made a beeline for Delia after the dinner for another taste!

The next day, Delia was off to The Jugged Hair for a winemaker lunch hosted by Graham Holter, Publisher & Founder of The Wine Merchant. The crowd very much enjoyed tasting the Viader wines and the food was scrumptious.

And if that weren’t enough hosting and socializing (all while experiencing jet lag), later that evening, Delia poured one more time for the crowds at Theatre of Wine, a small wine retailer owned by Daniel Ilsley in Tufnell Park London. The response by the British community was astounding and the discussions about American vs. French Oak were fascinating. A globetrotter for most of her life, and fluent in six languages, Delia feels right at home in Europe. It was a wildly successful visit.

Please share the post with your wine friends and be sure to pay Viader a visit next time you’re in the area. We’d love to show you around the winery and vineyards.